Hajj 2018: the annual Islamic pilgrimage – in pictures

Muslims from around the world have started the yearly ritual in Saudi Arabia, performing rites in and around the holy city of Mecca. Hajj is a religious duty that must be carried out by those adults who are able to at least once in their lifetime

Main image:
Muslim pilgrims pray around the Ka’bah, the holiest site in Mecca
Photograph: Muhammad Hamed/Reuters

Sun 19 Aug 2018 08.43 EDT
Last modified on Sun 19 Aug 2018 13.05 EDT

Men and women touch the Ka’bah stone as they walk around Islam’s holiest site, located in the centre of the Masjid al-Haram or Grand Mosque in the holy city of Mecca

Saudi men are pictured inside sleep pods or ‘capsule hotels’ in Mecca. The free pods are part of new measures Saudi Arabia is rolling out this year in a bid to modernise the centuries-old practice of hajj